Dufftown Distillery: The Singleton’s Big Speysider

Overview

Dufftown distillery — not to be confused with the town of the same name — is one of Diageo’s largest malt distilleries, making a soft, sweet Speyside now bottled as part of The Singleton range. It is a workhorse on a grand scale.

The history

Dufftown distillery was founded in 1895–96 by a partnership led by Peter Mackenzie, converting a meal mill in the whisky town during the Victorian boom. It has been greatly expanded over the years into one of the region’s biggest producers.

The water & the land

Dufftown draws on Jock’s Well and springs in the Conval Hills.

Dufftown distillery had no founding clan. It stands in Dufftown, the town laid out in 1817 by James Duff, Earl of Fife, in historic Grant country.

How it’s made

Dufftown runs six stills — three wash and three spirit — for about four million litres a year, using water from Jock’s Well in the Conval Hills. Owned by Diageo, its spirit is a major component of Arthur Bell & Sons blends, and its single malts are sold as The Singleton of Dufftown and a 15-year-old Dufftown.

Visiting

Dufftown is not open to the public — it is a working production distillery with no visitor centre. Its whisky appears mainly in blends and in occasional official or independent single-malt bottlings.

Nearby & more whisky

• Dufftown’s first distillery, a short walk away: Mortlach — the “Beast of Dufftown,” founded 1823.
• Across town: Glenfiddich — the world’s best-selling malt, free to wander round.
• Next to Glenfiddich: The Balvenie — handcrafted, own floor maltings, tours by appointment.
• Just south of the square: Glendullan — another of the town’s quiet production-only distilleries.
• Planning a day of it? Our Speyside Whisky Trail lays out Dufftown as a proper touring base.
• The whisky town: Dufftown
• The whole picture: Scotch whisky — the full guide

Sources

• Dufftown distillery — Wikipedia.
• Diageo; Scotchwhisky.com.